Flyers to undergo COVID-19 test, quarantine upon entering J&K

With domestic flights scheduled to resume from next week, the Jammu and Kashmir administration on Saturday said all inbound passengers would have to undergo a compulsory COVID-19 test and administrative quarantine till the time their report is out.

The decision was conveyed by the department of disaster management, relief and reconstruction (state executive committee), extending the already set protocols for passengers returning passengers to the Union Territory.

In view of resumption of flights from May 25, the circular reiterated the already issued protocols for the information of authorities and travelers, and said all passengers/returnees coming to UT of J&K, whether by road, rail or air will have to compulsorily undergo a COVID-19 test following which they will be under administrative quarantine for 14 days till the test result is negative, in which case they will be released for home quarantine and if found positive, they will be sent to COVID-19 hospital for treatment.

As per official figures, over 85,000 Jammu and Kashmir residents, stranded in different parts of the country due to the COVID-19-induced lockdown, have been brought back over the last fortnight by the UT administration through 24 special trains, three flights and scores of buses.

The majority of them are still under administrative quarantine as their test reports are awaited.